Just a note to let you know that we will answer your questions as soon as possible, but most of them require some reasearch and this takes longer... also check the archives as a lot of your questions may have already been answered. Thanks!
If you've been been occasionally using cocaine for the past 6 months (never done it before) and have quit for about a month 1/2 so for how long can us still get withdrawl symptoms and what are they.. b/c for the past month I haven't felt much of the withdrawl effects; so is it possible to still have them in the time to come?
If you haven't felt much in the way of withdrawal in the last month that's good. You may, at some point, feel the urge to use, but it sounds like you were a somewhat casual user ("occasionally using") so that might not happen. You may get a kinaesthetic (body) response if you go out in warm weather and your body heats up. This is because when you do cocaine your body heats up because of the stimulation of the drug. Then, after you aren't using for a while and the weather gets hot or whatever, your body is reminded of the feeling of using cocaine by the increased heat.
So, if the weather is nice and you suddenly get an urge to use, you can tell yourself that it's a side effect and not a good idea after all!
I am concerned about what the consequences of my actions may be. Can u help. I am struggling to stop using cocaine. I am 21 wks pregnant. When I found out I was 6 wks... I stopped for about 8 weeks and now on and off til this point have been using. I keep researching but can not find facts about what is likely to be wrong with the baby due to what I have done. I know I need to stop; and have started NA meetings, telling family, etc. Can u help?
Thank you for your question. Good for you for taking the intitiative to do some research about the effects of cocaine on your fetus. You have done the most important things for both you and the baby, and that is trying to quit, seeking out information, acknowledging that quitting is hard, and reaching out for help.
There are many factors that come into play when you're looking at how a fetus might be affected by drug use: how much and how often you use, how your health is otherwise, whether you are getting adequate nutrition, sleep, exercise, the genetic susceptibility of the fetus, whether you also smoke or use any other drugs including alcohol, and your age.
It is hard to do research on cocaine use in pregnancy because many women use other drugs as well - even smoking tocacco changes things. the problems some babies exposed to cocaine in utero develop - like malformations - could also be caused by the combination of drug use, or by a different drug altogether (like alcohol).
So with that in mind, these are some of the effects that might occur: increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and congenital malformations (which means the baby might not form properly in some minor or major way). Babies who are born early have an increased risk for all sorts of development problems, both physical and cognitive. Cocaine retards fetal growth and head size, and can cause malformed kidneys and genitals. It increased the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), seizures, strokes before birth, and heart attacks after delivery. It may cause premature separation of the placenta, causing hemorrhage and shock. Babies exposed to cocaine in the womb may not nurse well or cudle, can be irritable, unresponsive, and be difficult to care for. Many babies born to cocaine-using mothers are born in withdrawal, suffering seizures.
These things sound scary, but the good news is that you are trying to find ways to quit and you have had periods of time when you haven't used at all. You still have a long way to go before you are full term, so there is a lot of good you can do for your fetus from now until then. Focus on what you can do - there are many treatment programs that give pregnant women priority (we do), and so if you need daily support you can drop in every day and see a counsellor.
I think it would be important to ask yourself what your triggers are: is your spouse/boyfriend/partner also a user? Do your friends also use? If you know what your triggers are, that might help you to avoid those situations right now.
Also, you might find it helpful to connect with other expectant mothers. There are pregnancy outreach programs in some centers where they can help you with all of these things and also things like housing and nutrition programs. If you are in the Vanderhoof area please call us and we can connect you to support services.
Feb 6/06 - My son has taken Ritalin for 2 years now. He took one on Friday and has not taken one since; it is now Monday, will it show in his system if they draw blood today?
Posted Feb 13/06 - I'm afraid you'll know the answer to that question already, but I'll tell you what I found out anyway.
"...78%-97% of the dose is excreted in the urine and 1%-3% in the feces in the form of metabolites with 48-96 hours." (http://www.drugs.com/pdr/ritalin.html)
I have been using meth for two years every day. I know it takes about 5 days for it to leave your system but I just found out that I am pregnant and I'ved stopped using for a week now, but my question is; does it stay in your system longer if you are pregnant? Because I have to go see my probation officer soon and I just wanted to make sure that it would be gone by then.
Okay, so there are a lot of questions for me within your question...
First of all, it is likely to stay in your system longer now because you have two systems. That is, the drug passes through the placenta to the fetus and stays there, basically until you have metabolized the drug out of your system. Then the drug can pass out of the fetus' system and be metabolized by your liver.
My sense from your question is that you want to quit because you are pregnant but that you are also concerned about something to do with your probation officer - I assume if you test positive you wil be breaching probation. I think the most important issue in front of you is not the legal one, but a health one - and one that will affect you and your child for the rest of your lives.
So here's the skinny: The best thing you can do for yourself and your developing baby is to quit using, so good on you for doing so for a week now! However, you may find it very difficult if you've been using every day for two years. You might find yourself getting depressed at the very least. Please make sure you share with your health care provided about you meth use. It is best if you have a health care provider that is knowledgeable about crystal meth, or at least willing to become knowledgeable about it. Seek support to help you in you abstinence. Look for an alcohol and drug counsellor or self-help group such as Narcotics Anonymous. These support options can also be beneficial for you to help you navigate through whatever legal issues you may be facing as well. Good luck to you!
Dec 9/05 Hi there, I was wondering... A good friend of mine was using meth occasionally and decided to quit, but it hasn't been that long since she did, probably about a week ago; anyways she has to take a blood and urine test for a job. How long does meth stay in ones system? And is there anyway she can cleanse her body of it quickly cause she needs this job?
Pst: Dec 22/05 Meth clears the system usually in a few days; however, there are metabolites that may show up in a test. By now your friend will know the answer to your question. As to your questions about cleansing the body quickly, I have no quick fix for you . Chemicals are metabolized at a fixed rate.
A question that I have is about the test... why does she have to take a test? Does she have a history of drug use or is this a requirement of getting hired for the job? Will getting the job keep your friend from using in the futrue? What does "using meth occasionally" mean? Was she using once a day, once a week, or once a month? Answering these question may help your friend figure out what she needs to do to determine whether she already has a drug problem and needs to get some support to stay off them.
Dec 5/05 Is there anything other than Meth that will show up positive on a Meth ua test?
P-Dec 12/05 Meth metabolizes in your system and some of those metaboites (the after-effects of the metabolizing) are left behind. These might make a Meth ua test still come out positve.
